Description
On the former airfield in Berlin Johannisthal-Adlershof a new central square came into being as the new heart of the natural science faculty of Humboldt University. The urban layout and architectural design relate to the listed historic building fabric to be found on the site. The test station for airplane engines, a test tower for the spinning of airplanes – the so-called ”Trudelturm”, – and the wind channel have been turned into sculptural objects on the remodelled square.
The new institute is integrated into the orthogonal urban grid, but remains a solitary building. At this stage, the institute forms the border of the large open space of the former airfield. Its northern façade is of a consistent, smooth appearance with two precisely cut out openings. A ”landscape window” draws views into the landscaped courtyard scenario. With time, the southern façade will overgrow with vine.
The architects refer to their project as a ”building experiment”: It is a three-dimensional expression of the programme in which plan and elevation entail each other; at the same time, it constitutes an ecological experiment. The institute focuses on experimental materials science. Apart from standard laboratories, offices, and seminar rooms it comprises numerous special laboratories and an experimental lecture hall. Adjacent to the entrance foyer, shared facilities such as a lecture hall, seminar room, and a library are located. On the upper floors, laboratories and offices are combined in functional units to ensure short distances between spaces for experiments and theoretical analysis.
The plan layout of the four-storey laboratory building constitutes a sophisticated network with double-loaded access corridors that service differentiated areas consisting of laboratories and study rooms. The conceptual variability allows flexibility and adaptability of the spaces.
To operate ecologically sound, technical equipment as well as maintenance costs were reduced. To achieve this, the architects developed tailored façade systems (double-layered façade, manual ventilation flaps, green façade) and sustainable engineering solutions such as maximal use of thermal mass and rainwater use.
The green façade uses rainwater for adiabatic cooling in summer. In wintertime, it makes passive use of solar energy. The scaffolding for the vine consists of a mixture of steel and bamboo with suspended plant troughs of fibre cement in between. The planting provides heat insulation in summer and passive use of solar energy in winter.
Drawings
Originally published in: Hardo Braun, Dieter Grömling, Research and Technology Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2005.